Retired Air Force Brigadier General Blaine Holt told Newsmax on Friday that Israel’s recent operations against Iranian-supported Hezbollah forces in Beirut might indicate that a ground invasion into Lebanon is approaching.
Earlier this week, Israel targeted Hezbollah members by rigging pagers and walkie-talkies to detonate, resulting in the deaths of dozens and injuries to thousands. On Friday, reports surfaced that Israel Defense Forces had eliminated Hezbollah’s top military leader, Ibrahim Aqil, along with at least 10 other high-ranking commanders in an airstrike in Beirut. Aqil had been wanted by U.S. authorities, with a $7 million reward for his role in orchestrating the 1983 bombings of a U.S. Marine barracks and the U.S. Embassy in Beirut.
This marked the second instance in under two months that Israel successfully eliminated a senior Hezbollah military leader in Beirut. Back in July, an Israeli airstrike had taken out Fuad Shukr, whom Aqil succeeded as Hezbollah’s top commander.
“The strike was a precise strike,” Holt commented on “The Record With Greta Van Susteren” while speaking with guest host John Bachman. “It was in the Dahiya district of Beirut, the enclave that is all Hezbollah. That’s where Hezbollah lives. And they got their target [Aqil] going into a very important meeting down in a bunker, time sensitive, high-value target. They took that shot. Now, this is the gentleman who replaced the last terrorist killed, Fuad Shukr, about three or four weeks ago, and so what they’re doing is they’re effectively shaping everything just the way they want it before they escalate this war greatly. And with what we see the Israeli Air Force doing, in addition to the electronic strikes, I think it’s imminent that we’re going to see Israeli tanks roll very soon. In fact, the 36th and the 98th Division are in place to do just that.”
Hezbollah has continued its barrage of rockets and missiles into northern Israel since Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip, which followed the October 7 attack by Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists.
{Matzav.com}